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SMC sophomore strings rosaries for troops

Megan Loney | Thursday, December 3, 2009

Saint Mary’s sophomore Remi White has made about 500 rosaries to date, she said, as a part of the Ranger Rosary Ministry, which works with military chaplains to provide rosaries to troops deployed to combat zones and those at stateside bases and military hospitals.

As a junior in high school, she discovered the program with a friend on the Ranger Rosary Web site and it immediately grabbed her attention.

“We were both really interested in participating,” she said. “We thought it was such a unique way to give back to the troops overseas that a lot of people wouldn’t realize.”

The project rose to a new level as more students became involved, White said. It became a school project with the entire school making rosaries.

White does not have a direct affiliation with the military, but said that she began the rosary project because she wanted to bring happiness to the troops.

“I believe [the rosaries] provide a sense of hope and strength to the troops,” White said.

White continues to make the rosaries from parachute cords and dark beads with her high school friends during breaks from school.

Once the rosaries are finished, they are sent to the Ranger Rosary home base in Annapolis, Md. St. John Neumann church is responsible for fulfilling the requests of the military chaplains by supplying the rosaries.

The church also checks to make sure that the rosaries have been made correctly.

White and her friends add a personal touch to the rosaries that they make.

“We send a note along with the rosaries saying who we are and how honored we feel to participate in this project,” White said. “In a way, it is a note of thanks, too. We thank them for all that they do, and tell them that they are in our thoughts and prayers everyday.”

Individuals who are interested in making rosaries for service men and women can order a sample rosary making kit from St. John Neumann church, which includes enough materials to create five rosaries and a finished rosary as an example of the finished product.

The Rosary project sends an important message to the troops, White said.

“It is a reminder to know that God is always with them and that his love and support is always at their sides,” White said. “It also reminds the troops that there are people back home thinking of them and praying for their safety.”